On April 18, 2026, ABC News reported that the Department of Justice removed career prosecutor Maria Medetis Long from the so-called “grand conspiracy” investigation in the Southern District of Florida — and is replacing her with Joe diGenova, a Trump loyalist attorney who assisted the president’s failed legal effort to overturn the 2020 election results.
The reason Long was removed, according to sources familiar with the matter: she expressed concerns about a rushed effort to bring criminal charges against former CIA Director John Brennan.
Let that sit for a moment. A prosecutor raised a professional concern about the legal basis for an indictment. She was fired. Her replacement is the president’s personal ally who has spent years on television promoting conspiracy theories about the very people he’s now being sent to prosecute.
Who Is Joe diGenova?
Joe diGenova served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in the 1980s. He has not served as a federal prosecutor since. In the decades since, he reinvented himself as a cable news pundit and vocal Trump ally, making frequent media appearances echoing the president’s grievances — including conspiracy theories about the investigations targeting Trump dating back to his first term.
In 2020, diGenova was part of the legal team assembled to challenge the presidential election results. He appeared alongside Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis in the post-election press conferences that promoted false claims of widespread voter fraud. He called for the arrest of former DHS cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs after Krebs publicly stated the 2020 election was secure.
That is the man now being dispatched to lead an investigation into whether Obama-era intelligence officials engaged in a “years-long effort to unlawfully target Trump.”
The investigation in question is examining whether intelligence officials and prosecutors engaged in a conspiracy to target Trump in connection with the 2016 Russian election interference investigation. Its primary target is former CIA Director John Brennan. Former FBI Director James Comey was subpoenaed by the same office in March 2026. The probe operates out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida.
The Pattern Is the Point
This is not an isolated incident. This is the system working exactly as designed. The DOJ under Trump has systematically removed prosecutors who exercise independent judgment and replaced them with loyalists who will deliver the outcomes the president wants.
Consider the broader pattern, documented by Protect Democracy’s retaliatory action tracker:
Target of the “grand conspiracy” probe. Career prosecutor removed after expressing concerns about rushing charges. Replaced by Trump campaign lawyer Joe diGenova.
Subpoenaed in March 2026 by the same Southern District of Florida office. Connected to the “grand conspiracy” investigation into 2016 Russia probe origins.
Criminal investigation opened by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro in November 2025 over the Fed headquarters renovation. Judge Boasberg quashed the subpoenas in March 2026 and denied the government’s motion for reconsideration in April.
Trump issued an Executive Order in April 2025 directing agency investigations. Krebs’s offense: publicly stating the 2020 election was secure.
Arrested January 30, 2026. Pled not guilty February 13. DOJ filed a new indictment naming 30 new defendants on February 26.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ledger: Jan 6 prosecutors — fired. Roger Stone and Steve Bannon contempt cases — dropped. Eric Adams corruption case — dropped. The DOJ investigates the president’s enemies and protects the president’s friends. That’s the department’s operating principle now.
Why Brennan?
John Brennan served as CIA Director from 2013 to 2017 under President Obama. He oversaw intelligence assessments that concluded Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to help Donald Trump win. Trump has never forgiven him for it.
After leaving government, Brennan became one of Trump’s most vocal critics, calling his behavior at the Helsinki summit with Putin “treasonous” — a characterization shared by Republican senators at the time. Trump revoked Brennan’s security clearance in 2018 in what was widely seen as an act of political retaliation.
Now, eight years after the intelligence assessment that started it all, the DOJ is trying to criminally charge Brennan. The career prosecutor who was on the case said the rush to indict was concerning. She was removed. The president’s campaign lawyer was brought in to finish the job.
“The installment of diGenova comes after the removal of a top career prosecutor … who had expressed concerns about a rushed effort to bring criminal charges against former CIA Director John Brennan.” — ABC News, April 18, 2026
This Is Not Justice
When you remove the prosecutor who says the case isn’t ready and replace her with the president’s personal ally, you are not seeking justice. You are manufacturing an indictment. You are using the criminal justice system as a weapon against the president’s perceived enemies.
Joe diGenova is not being sent to Florida because he’s the most qualified prosecutor for the job. He hasn’t been a prosecutor in decades. He is being sent because he will do what Maria Medetis Long would not: deliver a politically useful indictment regardless of the evidence.
This is what DOJ weaponization looks like when you strip away the press releases and legal jargon. It’s a machine built to punish dissent. And it just got a new operator.
Sources
- ABC News: Trump loyalist Joe diGenova dispatched to lead DOJ’s controversial probe in Florida. Career prosecutor Maria Medetis Long removed after expressing concerns about rushing charges against Brennan. diGenova assisted Trump’s 2020 election overturn effort. April 18, 2026.
- Protect Democracy: Retaliatory action tracker documenting DOJ investigations and prosecutions targeting Trump’s perceived political opponents. Includes Brennan, Comey, Powell, Krebs, Don Lemon, and others. Updated April 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia — Obamagate Allegations: Background on the conspiracy theory driving the “grand conspiracy” investigation. Origins in Trump’s claims of Obama-era spying; Crossfire Hurricane investigation; targets include Brennan, Clapper, Comey, McCabe, and others.
- MSNBC: DOJ official confirms diGenova tapped to lead probe; confirms Long was removed. Describes investigation as targeting “former federal officials, including Obama era CIA director John Brennan, related to the 2016 Russian election interference investigation.” April 20, 2026.